


Secondhand Books, First Love

by GaHoolianGirl



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Never Met, As a couple not for them individually, Books, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Lunch, Meet-Cute, Office Drone Cordelia, Second Hand Bookstore Owner Sumia, Silly, The opposite of slow burn tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-05 10:54:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11012007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaHoolianGirl/pseuds/GaHoolianGirl
Summary: Cordelia found that there was an odd charm to secondhand bookstores that was often underappreciated. They were usually found hidden in corners, tucked away from busy main roads and those who would not appreciate them, as if they almost wanted to challenge those who sought them out to look where no one else thought to. Inside were books you’d be hard pressed to find physical copies of anymore, giving the stores a niche only they could fill.A niche that includes vintage romance novels.Seconds before she had just resolved to go search the shelves herself, the was a loud clatter in the back, followed by a cry of pain, then loud footsteps...and from the back door stumbled through the most adorable woman she had ever seen, as well as the most disheveled.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have an ending in mind for this and I dearly hope my motivation stays up for it...which is largely determined by if you guys like it, haha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning! I have more planned for this AU than you may expect and I think I did a good job foreshadowing a lot of it. I hope you enjoy!

Cordelia found that there was an odd charm to secondhand bookstores that was often underappreciated. They were usually found hidden in corners, tucked away from busy main roads and those who would not appreciate them, as if they almost wanted to challenge those who sought them out to look where no one else thought to. Inside were books you’d be hard pressed to find physical copies of anymore, giving the stores a niche only they could fill.

A niche that includes vintage romance novels.

Her greatest pleasure was romance novels of any kind, and it was also her greatest shame. At work, Cordelia held a reputation of being an upstanding, dedicated worker with equally respectable hobbies. To maintain that, she attempted to keep the lowest profile possible during her first visit to _Pegasus Books_.

Before she entered, she gazed through the glass, taking in the glorious sight of rows and rows of nothing but hand-me-down books. Other stores had shelves of novelty items but here, there were no distractions from the star of the show. Even from outside, the atmosphere radiated a unique type of homeyness.

Looking all round her quickly, she pushed open the door, pulling off her scarf as she did so. It was early winter and the chill was just starting to settle in, so she shut it quickly behind her. On a table which not visible from the window there was an antique tea set, and from the smell wafting her way, it was freshly filled.

Despite the fresh pot of tea, there was no clerk in sight.

“Hello...” she moved to the counter, drumming her fingers on it, “Hello?”

Seconds before she had just resolved to go search the shelves herself, the was a loud clatter in the back, followed by a cry of pain, then loud footsteps...and from the back door stumbled through the most adorable woman she had ever seen, as well as the most disheveled.

“I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in! I was organizing our latest donations and--!” The woman spoke frantically, panting out huffs of breath. Once the shock had subsided, Cordelia looked her over, and noticed a blood dripping down from her forehead.

She pointed to it, “You, uhm, cut yourself.”

“I did?” she raised a hand to her forehead and flinched when she touched the small wound, “Oh my. W-Well, I can take care of you first!”

Despite the strangeness of this whole scenario, Cordelia found herself laughing at the woman who offered to help her search for a book whilst bleeding. She shook her head, “I can wait for you to clean up. I have awhile.”

The clerk rubbed the back of her head, bending down to grab a first aid kit behind the counter, “This happens a lot,” she said sheepishly. Cordelia patiently watched as she rubbed her head with antiseptic wipe and expertly managed the small cut. As she finished, Cordelia took the opportunity to peak at her nameplate.

“Sumia.”

“Muh?”

She lifted her head up at her her name be called, and Cordelia felt herself heat up, “I was just reading your nameplate and sort of spoke out loud, sorry.”

Sumia smiled at her, so brightly that Cordelia felt the need to look away. She had always loved romance stories with love at first sight, enamoured of the concept, but she never thought it could possibly be real. But what she felt now...it was at least “I want to hold your hand and make you feel special” at first sight.

Now that she was done attending to her injury, Sumia stood up straight and brushed herself off, “Well, now that I’ve thoroughly embarrassed myself, what did you need?”

“I was wondering if you had a specific book. I can’t even find it on the internet, but I heard about this place from some college interns at my work, and they said you have things you can’t find anywhere else.”

That sentence instilled some pride and confidence in Sumia, who nodded enthusiastically, “We sure do! I inherited this place from my mother, who never threw away any book! Neither did my grandma, so we had a collection going in, and then everyone in town is so very kind as to donate often to our book drives, and I sometimes take part in auctions and-” she stopped talking, her face fallen, “I’m sure you don’t want to hear me ramble. I’m sorry. Oh, I’ve made such a fool of myself today!”

Usually interested in retail transactions being as expedient as possible, Cordelia was surprised to find she would be perfectly content with listening to this woman talk all day, “It’s no problem. I’m guessing you're new at this?”

“Yes. My mother got too old and passed it on to me a few months ago, but without her guidance I’m sort of lost.”

“You’re new, and there’s no need to worry so much over small mistakes. Give it time and you’ll forget you weren’t ever perfect at it,” as she spoke, Cordelia realized she had never thought those words at herself. When had she ever allowed herself to make _any_ mistakes...?

However, her pep talk seemed to encourage Sumia, who perked up, “You’re right, I know, I’ll try my best. Let’s start with this: how about I see if we have that book you want. What’s it called?”

No longer able to avoid her embarrassing confession, Cordelia looked away as she spoke, “It’s called _The Flowers In Sacae_.”

“I love that book!”

“Huh?”  
  
Sumia’s eye shone with excitement, and she looked nearly ready to jump ten feet in the air, “We definitely have that book! Several copies of it! Me and my mother would read it all the time and we made it a quest to collect all the copies we could for the store. Wait here!”

Without giving Cordelia a chance to speak again, Sumia ran around the counter into the sea of books, quickly coming out with a worn volume, shoving it into the other woman’s hands. It was a well bound tome, the title engraved into the cover in swirling golden letters. She turned it on it’s side and saw the page were rough from frequent turning. The thought that the book might be so rare because this little book shop downtown had bought so many was amusing, and put a smile on her face.

Too pleased to worry about coming out to a total stranger, Cordelia spoke, “Thank you. I have all of other books by this author and was missing this one. She was one of the first LGBT authors to get proper recognition, and still one of the best out there. It's hard to find books about people like me,” _Considering I've read almost every other lesbian romance out there I would know,_ she thought jokingly.

“I know, isn’t it wonderful?” Sumia said dreamily, “From the few interviews with her, the leads in that book are based off of her and her real partner. I’ve always wanted a romance like in the story. Just me and the woman I love alone with nature...”

Cordelia started. The pretty, charming, and quirky book keeper had all but flat out said she was attracted to women.

Her heart couldn’t take it.

“I understand what you mean. I can’t wait to read it.”

“You can just have it, honestly,” Sumia said, putting her hand on the end Cordelia’s wasn’t, “No one ever asks for that book, or really any by her. I’m just so happy I found someone to talk about them with.”

“For free?”

“Uh huh.”

Pausing, Cordelia considered her options. take the free book, leave, and never look back. Or...

“I could pay with my time.”

“What?”

“I don't get to talk about these books much myself. I could come by after work and we could talk. I can even help out if you need it.”

Sumia flustered, “I couldn’t ask-! I just met you and...” she looked torn between propriety and the tempting offer, “...I would like that very much.”

“I think I will too-”

The loud ringing of a phone startled them both. Apologizing and asking for a minute of patience, Cordelia angrily reached into her pocket, but her voice was entirely professional by the time the device reached her ear.

“Yes? Yes. What? I...” she turned to look regretfully at Sumia, “I'll be there as soon as I can. Yes, I'm still in the city.”

She hung her phone up, sighing loudly, “I have to go back to work. Someone under me made a mistake and I have to go fix it.”

“Oh,” the tone in Sumia’s voice broke her heart, “Well, come by any time.”

“How about...” Cordelia swallowed the lump in her throat, “I give you my number? That way I can tell you ahead of time if something comes up.”

Sumia’s face lit up and Cordelia knew she had said the absolute correct thing. She was ever prepared and pulled out a small notebook from her shoulder bag, scribbling her number on it. She let her hand linger when it brushed Sumia’s.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said as she slung her scarf over her shoulders again, in a way she hoped was smooth.

“Definitely!”

When Cordelia was sure she was out of Sumia’s range of vision from the window, she skipped the whole way back to the office, and didn’t stop smiling until she fell asleep later that evening, dreaming of a text from the cutest bookstore clerk ever born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book they mention is a reference to the _The Blazing Sword_ just in case there are a few people who don't know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter too! The title _The Flowers In Sacae_ makes it obvious who the book they talk about is about, but in this chapter who the author is is revealed! I hoep you guys like this chap too.

Over the years, Cordelia had risen the ranks of her office until she achieved the position she had now, a section chief. Her subordinates knew her as calm, capable, and most of all, distant. She did her work with a grim look and determination gleaming in her eyes.

But this afternoon was different.

There was a smile on her lips, a spring in her step, and she hummed while she typed away. No one was brave enough to ask what had changed, but it had only taken their boss a single day to go from a fair but strict taskmaster to jovial and gay.

At lunch, she was attached to her phone, and to their shock, they heard her _giggle_.

 

xxx-xxx-xxx 

_Hello!!!! This is the woman from the bookstore if you remember me!! I just wanted you to have my number! Are you on break??_

 

Cordelia smiled down at her phone, bemused by her adorably excessive use of punctuation. She quickly added Sumia to her contacts before replying.

 

Cordelia 

_I'm on break now. I'm reading the book now_.

 

Sumia 

_Wonderful!!! How are you liking it??_

 

Cordelia 

_It's great as expected._

 

Sumia 

_That's great!!! Are you coming by after work??_

 

Cordelia 

_Around eight, if you don't mind_

 

Sumia 

_That's fine!! The shop closes up around nine so you can stay after closing if you want!! I can't wait!!_

 

With that encouragement, Cordelia's day couldn't go by fast enough.

Before she even finished thanking everyone for their hard work, she had a foot out the door, all but sprinting to Pegasus Books for her meeting with Sumia. She dearly hoped that Sumia didn't ever grow tired of having her around, because she got the feeling the reverse would never happen.

When she arrived, there was a fresh pot of tea again, but this time, two cups were already poured, and Sumia sat at the table.

“Hello again!” she said warmly, patting the seat beside her, and Cordelia’s heart fluttered. She greeted her, divesting herself of her coat and scarf as she sat down, and sipped the tea--- and found it to be one of the best cups she’s ever had.

“This is amazing!” she said in awe, before immediately going in to sip again. It wasn’t too hot nor had it yet gotten cold, and it had the right balance of fragrance and flavor.

Sumia looked flustered, smiling shyly, “Y-You’re just saying that...” she deflected the compliment but looked pleased all the same, refilling Cordelia's now emptied cup. Contented that her duty as hostess was done, she started to inquire about the book.

“Tell me what you think! How far did you get?”

“Well, Florina just met Lyndis for the first time. I really love how she described her,” taking another sip, Cordelia opened the book, reciting the passage she referred to, “ _The best word to describe her is striking. Long and well kept green hair tied up high, with bangs that framed her face just so. Her eyes were piercing and I could feel them on me like the sun on a hot summer’s day. It took every ounce of my being not to melt at her mere presence. Never before had I felt both so cowed and intrigued by one person, but this woman was unlike any other I had ever met. I figured my staring had been obvious because she laughed at me, and by Saint Elimine it was the most wondrous sound I had ever heard.”_

When she had finished, there was a small clap from her companion, who was smiling broadly at her, “You have a delightful reading voice! I would gladly read an audiobook with your narration.”

“Ah, I, thank you,” Cordelia flushed under the praise. _She likes my voice!?_

She shut the tome, placing it on the table, “I think the world she establishes is fascinating. It’s a romance through and through, but the touches of light fantasy really make the setting come alive.”

Sumia clasped her hands together dreamily, “I know! It really makes her books unique. She takes premises you’ve seen everywhere but adds a sapphic spin to them. She’s a master at sucking you in.”

Nodding, Cordelia took another sip from her tea, “My favorite example is how she blends the concept of ‘damsel’ and ‘knight’ into one character with Lyndis. She’s in danger as often as Florina, but is also described as a savior in many ways.”

“Isn’t it a wonderful concept?” Sumia said, beaming, “It’s not an uneven power balance like a lot of fantasy romance. There is equal support and supporting from them both! I love the idea of having someone there for you always but being there for them. Of course, someone like me needs extra support because otherwise I’ll just fall apart...”

From their two days of interaction it had become apparent to Cordelia that her new companion was fond of being hard on herself...and even more apparent that she couldn’t let that stand.

“You aren’t weak for needing more help than other people. Everyone has different strengths, but practice and hardwork can almost always make up the difference, and there’s always something to be said for effort, even if it doesn’t work out.” Just like before, Cordelia was confronted with the fact that she had never thought those things about herself, always pushing herself beyond her limits with no forgiveness.

Ignorant of the hypocrisy of the pep talk, Sumia sat up a little straighter, smiling shyly in a way that made Cordelia all warm inside and able to forget her woes, “You always know how to cheer a girl up.”

“Maybe you bring it out in me,” Cordelia said in her best attempt at flirtation. To her delight she seemed to have a willing victim, as Sumia giggled and looked away. Emboldened by that, Cordelia continued explaining her various opinions of the book until the clock was dangerously close to changing over to the next day.

“I should go...” Cordelia said with great reluctance, picking up her scarf and hesitantly wrapping it around her shoulders. There was nowhere she’d rather be than here with Sumia, but she had paperwork and a load of dishes waiting for her in her apartment.

Sumia looked just as sad as she picked up the tea tray, “Thank for agreeing to do this. I don’t really have many friends, so this was a wonderful way to spend my night,” she paused, looking sheepish, “Tomorrow is Saturday, so if you’d like to come earlier, maybe we could have...lunch?”

Cordelia mentally checked her schedule, desperately searching for an opening. If she stayed up tonight and made some phone calls first thing...

“I’d be delighted to. Is one a good time?”

“Yes it is!!”

Tomorrow’s time set (and after some more chit-chat) Cordelia finally took her leave, proud of herself for scoring her first date since college.

_(...she dearly hoped it was a date.)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm building up to something with this and I hope it's clear to people...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short too, but I feel like this fic works better with short chapters. I'm sorry this took more than a month!!

It was sadly common for Cordelia to function solely on four hours of sleep, but this time the exhaustion was worth it. Her schedule must be clear to enjoy a nice lunch with Sumia.

At around nine, she was finally done doing all that needed to be done, and got a moment to text Sumia.

Cordelia

_ So, where are we going? _

 

Sumia

_ Actually, I was going to make it, so come by the shop. Is that okay?? _

 

A home cooked meal? Cordelia enjoyed a steady diet of fast food and portions of mass produced leftovers. The suggestion of having warm food made especially for her...

Cordelia

_ That's fine. I'm excited to try your food _ .

 

There was no response, but she could already imagine how adorably embarrassed the woman on the other end must be. She felt like this was her first crush rather than a someone she had met when she was twenty five.

Cordelia was not someone for makeup or other adornment, but she spent what was an embarrassing amount of time on her hair and outfit. It was just a lunch in a friend's home, but not all your friends were beautiful women who gave signals that they were into you too.

She was out the door but 12:00, her trained urge to be early taking over. It was 12:45 when she arrived, primped and eager.

The sight she was greeted with was always a welcome one. Dressed more casually than Cordelia had seen her before, Sumia greeted her with the same bright smile she always seemed to have.

“Come in! I was anxious so I started early, so it's all set...”

Pleased to know to wasn’t just her, Cordelia stepped inside, following Sumia upstairs.

“We live above the shop. My mother has been at my Aunt’s house since last week, so it's just me until Tuesday.”

“A little early to meet your family anyway,” Cordelia said, unable to keep the cheeky tone out of her voice. Her words got the intended reaction from Sumia; embarrassment and a small smile. Once they reached the top, it became apparent that Sumia’s scatterbrained habits were not exclusive to the messy state of the shop below. Everything about the small apartment was very  _ her _ , and her and her mother must be very similar if they share a space like this. They walked through the living room into the small kitchen, which had a table full of the most inviting meal Cordelia had ever laid eyes on.

There were sandwiches, pastas, a pie, bread... she could feel the fresh-from-the oven heat radiating off all of them. She near floated with bliss into a seat, and it took most of her self control not to drool. Her various dinners of cold take-out from the past week suddenly felt like she had been eating a bowl of plastic every night.

“This looks wonderful,” she said sincerely, looking over the spread. Sumia played with the hem of her shirt.

“There’s not too much? I tend to cook to calm my nerves. And clean. And knit. My bathroom is spotless right now and I have a very nice scarf nearly finished.”

Smiling fondly, Cordelia shook her head, sitting down at the table, “No, this is perfect. The moment I smelled it, it’s like I hadn’t eaten for a week.”

Clearly relieved, Sumia sat on the seat across Cordelia, reaching over to hand her a plate, explaining that she had leave to eat whatever she wanted in any order, “There’s also a dessert pie I made.”

“You must have gotten up pretty early to make all this.”

“Y-Yes...” she was definitely bashful, “I only got about four hours of sleep because I made it all from scratch.”

“All of it!?”

“Yes.”

Cordelia didn’t believe she could be more infatuated with the woman in front of her after three days, but having the ability to cook such food without anything store bought or from a can...

“You are just too amazing...”

“You’re just saying that!”

Frustrated that Sumia didn’t see her the same way Cordelia saw her, she did that she thought would have been unspeakable and impossible for her, but that was before she walked into the most fateful bookstore of her life.

She leaned forward and kissed her. It wasn’t her first kiss. Nor her best one. 

But it was by far her favorite. 

Sumia was shocked, as would be expected, but did close her eyes and respond. It was brief, maybe at most a few seconds, and then they pulled away, faces far warmer than before.

“I’m sorry for doing that without asking.”

“No no! It’s fine!!” Sumia looked frantic, “I just didn’t think, didn’t know if you felt the same way I was, I was hoping this was a date but I just couldn’t imagine you, someone like you would like me and I just-”

“I’m pretty sure I was hoping to do that since the moment I saw you. It’s only been three days and it’s probably too soon for that, but...”

Sumia ran her fingers over her lips, contemplating what had just happened, “It sounds silly, but it had to be you that can through the door that day. You see, I do these little flower fortunes, and...” she turned away in embarrassment, “I did one asking about if I’d find love soon and it came out positive.”

So she wasn’t the only one who felt like the meeting was fated? She had always considered herself a realist, and in most ways she still was, but she figured that she had worked her ass off her whole damn life and deserved to believe this once.

“Well now that I hopefully have a beautiful girlfriend, why don’t we eat? I’d be sad to waste your hard works.”

The title of “girlfriend” seemed to please Sumia, who nodded eagerly, likely wanting to dispel the the awkwardness that usually followed first kisses. The rest of the meal was eaten at a casual pace, interspersed with pleasant conversation, and together they whittled the winter afternoon away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's probably gonna be a time jump of about a month after this chapter, with a few setences to detail what happened over that time, so heads up. That's why this hapter doesn't end on a transition like the last two.

**Author's Note:**

> Lemme know what you think!


End file.
